The new Pixel Buds borrow a lot of ideas from Apple's AirPods: they have a new, easier way to pair with your phone, they come in a little battery case, they use touch controls, and they have tight integration with an intelligent assistant with realtime translation. They're also priced exactly the same, at $159, and are coming out in November.

On the other hand, Pixel Buds are neckbuds, not truly wireless earbuds. They lack some of the technical whiz-bang of the AirPods, like auto-detecting when they're in your ear. The choices Google made with the design of Pixel Buds speak to Google's emerging values when it comes to its hardware products: be pragmatic and lean on Google's core technologies whenever possible.Posted By Joe